The Long Goodbye
by DemonicK
Summary: Alien experiments never have to worry about growing old. If only it were the same for little girls...


**Lilo and Stitch: The Long Goodbye**

**Monday, 11 December 2006**

* * *

He sat, looking over the water. It was a pretty home they had here. _ I guess it's the only home I've really had, huh?_ The thought made him smile. Even if he couldn't compare it to anything else, he knew that this was the most beautiful home in the whole galaxy. It made him think. It had always been the same beautiful home… 

A heavy accent broke into his reverie. "What are you doing up here? And why are you smiling? Getting up to trouble, eh?" He just smiled again, turning to see his… well, he wasn't exactly his 'father'. The thought didn't trouble him. He had no problem being 'created'.

His creator was smiling, too. By this time, they both knew it wasn't true. Well… mostly.

No, he told him, just watching the water.

"Water? That's a bit strange, for you."

He laughed. It wasn't like he was gonna go swimming. The waves were plenty pretty from up here. His creator joined in the laughter this time. So, what was _he_ doing up here?

"Looking for you, 6-2-… ah, Stitch." Stitch shook his head, trying not to laugh again. No matter how hard he tried, Jumba had never been able to break the habit of calling him 626. _Some things never change._ But that only brought him back to his earlier contemplation. He figured his smile must have faded away, because Jumba asked, "Eh, what's wrong with you?"

Stitch looked up, thinking. He didn't know, he told him. He guessed… he just guessed that it was because everything was changing. He shrugged. He'd get used to it soon. Jumba didn't say anything, regarding his creation carefully.

He had never really expected so much from something created for destruction. And, Stitch never failed to surprise him.

Suddenly, Stitch spoke up, no longer in their native tongue, but in broken English. "Why can… not speak English?" Sighing, he tried again. "Rr.. why.. _can't_.. I speak… eh, English? Been here six years!"

Jumba laughed again, heartily this time. Ah, _this_, he had insight into. "You were created, yes? Your brain is hardwired in one way— you're incredibly intelligent, but you didn't need to be able to grow or change. So, your English is… not the greatest." He shrugged. "But your Galactic standard is impeccable. Why ask?" Jumba shot a wondering glance over at Stitch. "Everyone understands you just fine, no matter what language you speak in."

"Ih," he said. Yes. _They understand me… So why can't I understand them anymore?_ Though he smiled at Jumba reassuringly, inside, Stitch suddenly found himself uncomfortable. _ I can learn, but I don't change._ A voice inside said, that obviously isn't true— look, you changed from bad to good! But the more skeptical side of him reminded himself that _Lilo_ had changed him. _I can't change myself, though._ "I… I can't…change?"

Jumba shrugged. "Nope."

Something odd occurred to Stitch, and he felt a weird, lurching feeling in his stomach. Going back to their own language, he asked… What happens when he grows old?

"Huh?" Frustrated, Stitch repeated himself. What happens when he grows old? Does he die? "What kind of a question is that?" Jumba asked, exasperated. "No, of course not! You're not designed like other creatures… you don't _grow_ old…" He gave Stitch another strange look. Stitch just shook his head, and didn't reply. He eventually heard Jumba walk away, and finally let his face fall.

Maybe… for the first time… being a creation… it bothered him. _What happens when they all change, when they all move on… and I'm still here…?_

He guessed if he thought about it, this wasn't even the beginning. The beginning— it was hard to say. So much had happened…

* * *

_Finally, they had found all of the experiments… all of his cousins. He had never seen his friends so happy— Jumba and Pleakley, finally back in their own society. And him! He had never thought he could get this far._

_But… Lilo's expression… He didn't think he had ever seen someone so sad. She had let them go, but he still couldn't forget that expression on her face…_

_For now, they were just in space— on their way… _

_Was he not being honest to himself? Well… there really wasn't anyone better for the job, was there? He had been specially designed as powerful. On the side of good… think of everything he could do for the Galactic Alliance! But, Stitch couldn't imagine his own 'one true place' being anywhere but with Lilo. With a pang of regret, he wondered if he could even still call Kauai his home. _

"_Did I… make right decision?" he asked himself, quietly, though he was sure none of the others on the bridge could understand what he was saying, or particularly cared. _

_The comm screen beeped. For now, he would have to put this to the back of his mind. But what about ohana?_

"_Nobody gets left behind… or forgotten…"_

* * *

_Stitch hugged Lilo, like he would never let go. He didn't care that he had turned in his commission. He didn't care that he would never be a galactic hero, and everything he could do for the Alliance. There was no way he would leave Lilo behind again. _

_They needed each other. And he was going to make sure that they were always together._

* * *

Hm. Maybe I shouldn't have given up my commission, he muttered to himself. Actually… His eyes went a bit wider. Actually, there might be a solution there! 

"Hey… hey, Jumba!" he cried out, scrambling to his feet. A bit further up the path, he could see his creator and friend pause; "Wait up!"

* * *

"_Has to be perfect!"_

"_Yes, yes, we know, Stitch!"_

"_You've, uh, reiterated that approximately four thousand times."_

"_But it has to be perfect!"_

"_Four thousand and one!"_

_Jumba smacked Pleakley in the back of the head. "Do not worry, Stitch, Lilo's birthday party will be perfect. Trust me," he added._

_It was Lilo's twelfth birthday party— for years now, they had had more and more extravagant parties, involving hi tech gadgets and gizmos and as many aliens as they could fit into one room. And they had been great! Lilo had just loved them._

_But Stitch had overheard Lilo talking with Keoni— trying to explain why he couldn't come to her birthday party. Later, she had laughed about it and blown it off, but it had occurred to Stitch… What if all she really wanted was a normal birthday party?_

_So, he had convinced Nani to let them handle it. He wanted it to be a surprise. And he wanted it to be perfect._

* * *

"_Oh, Stitch, the party can wait… come on," Lilo said with a laugh. Stitch pushed her towards the door, that knowing smile stuck on his face. _

"_Can't wait," he insisted. Though, I can't wait to see your reaction, he added in his own language, hoping she wouldn't catch it._

"_Oh yeah? What have you all got planned this time?" she asked in a teasing manner, spinning away from Stitch; she was just as eager to get in the house and to the party, but she could wait, if it meant a chance to joke with Stitch. "What new and extravagant thing have you got in store— hey!" This time, she couldn't help but break down into giggles as Stitch— thoroughly impatient— picked her up and carried her to the door. Now that she had grown a bit, she knew it had to look ridiculous, but she didn't try to squirm out of his grasp._

"_Go on!" Stitch whispered to her, shoving her towards the door one more time._

_Lilo shook her head and rolled her eyes as she pushed the door open._

"_Surprise!!"_

"_W-what?" Staring back at her were… Nani, and David, and… Victoria? Myrtle? Elena? Yuki? Teresa? And… "Keoni!"_

_He laughed. "I should've known that you wouldn't know who was coming to your surprise party!"_

_Lilo looked around, stunned. Streamers hung off of the walls, and balloons were tied to the chairs. Everyone was wearing a party hat— people started laughing as someone pulled a cracker, and confetti flew all over the place. Then, the laughter started to become infectious, and Lilo found herself laughing along with them. Remembering suddenly, she looked down beside her._

_Stitch was on all fours, with only the hint of a smile on his face. "Bark!" He added a wink for good measure._

_She looked like she was about to cry in happiness. But then someone called her over, and they got lost in conversation. _

_Over time, Lilo and the other girls had… well, they had never exactly reconciled their differences, but they had learned to like each other. All that seemed to remain of a couple years ago was the endless competition, teasing and ribbing, with Lilo giving just as much as she got, and loving every second of it. The seven kids were having so much fun, that eventually, Stitch had forgone the pretense of being Lilo's dog, and had left the party completely._

_Time eventually found Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley hiding in the back hallway, peeking into the living room._

"_Why can't we be in there?" Pleakley whined, though it was good-natured. _

"_Humans only," Stitch repeated, ignoring the fact that he himself had intended to stay the whole party, even if in canine disguise. _

"_We can disguise ourselves!"_

"_Ah, let the little girl have her party. Look! She is having fun," Jumba said, pointing in as Lilo opened her presents. Stitch watched, knowing that he had given her the perfect gift. _

* * *

"_Hey, you guys," Nani whispered, poking her head into the back room where Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch had taken up residence, after absconding with the television. "Lilo's just saying goodbye to the last guests— we were going to have a special little after-party so everyone can join in, 'kay?"_

"_Ah! Finally! A chance to wear my new wig," Pleakley added, pulling out his newest— long, red hair. "I was saving it for a special occasion."_

_Stitch could barely wait; he crawled out under Nani's feet, to glance into the living room._

_Lilo was standing at the door, saying goodbye to Keoni. Then, something that almost made Stitch blow his own cover in shock… Keoni leaned over and kissed Lilo on the cheek. She seemed to melt on the spot, her face flushing under the beautiful dark skin. Eyes half glazed, she raised her hand to wave at him as he walked down the stairs._

_Stitch felt something in his throat stick. Lilo… she was his best friend. But, he had never seen her so happy. His patient cheerfulness at having given Lilo the ultimate birthday party seemed to falter. _

"_Lilo!" he said, finally rising up to two legs and walking over._

"_Did you see THAT?" she asked, looking as if she were about to squeal in delight. "And I didn't even need Hunkahunka or anything!"_

"_Yeah," he said, chuckling. "Didn't need a cousin." Didn't need…_

_Doesn't need… _

_Stitch shook his head, not willing to finish the thought. His optimism returned; even Keoni couldn't get between him and Lilo._

* * *

"You want to do WHAT??!" 

Unfazed, Stitch continued to look up at Jumba. He wanted to renew his commission, he repeated.

"_Why_ in world would you _want_ to do that?!" Jumba demanded.

Stitch forced himself to shrug. "Time for change."

Jumba continued to stare at Stitch, as he was crazy, before rolling his eyes. "You are malfunctioning." He started walking away again, muttering

"Am not!" Stitch cried, following after him.

"Alright, _alright!_" Jumba said, holding up his hands to stave of Stitch's protests. "But I wager you will change your mind by tomorrow."

Stitch didn't answer, yet again. All he could do was think to himself… _I don't change._

* * *

_Lilo was sprawled on the floor, watching an old B movie. Beside her was Stitch— Pleakley and Jumba on the couch. It had been yet another Family Fun Night, and the four of them were ending it by vegging in front of Killer Klowns From Outer Space._

_Suddenly, from the kitchen, they heard a scream— "Nani!!"_

_Stitch was the first into the room, bristling and spitting and ready to hurt whatever it was that was threatening his adopted guardian—_

_He was met by the sight of Nani holding David, locked in quite a kiss. Suddenly embarrassed at having walked in on them, he started to back out, when Lilo tripped over him, to fall flat on her face. A second later, Jumba and Pleakley had appeared at the door._

"_Oww…" Lilo rubbed her head, gratefully taking the hand that Stitch offered to help her up. Before them, Nani and David smiled sheepishly. Lilo's brow became furrowed as she looked at something on Nani's hand…_

_Without warning, the thirteen year old leapt forward, seizing her sister's left hand. Instead of pulling it away, Nani only smiled, allowing Lilo to see._

"_Nani?" Lilo seemed mystified, before letting out a shriek, and tackling her sister in a hug. "David!" She released her sister only to repeat the aggressive display of affection— to his credit, David only let out a slight grunt, before chuckling at the girl's enthusiasm._

"_I do not understand… Why is little girl attacking them?" Stitch could only shrug, but Pleakley let out a girlish squeal of his own._

"_Oh! I love this ritual! It's the marking of true affection between two humans, shared by long periods of living together, archaically phrased promises and the exchange of jewelry!"_

"_Huh?" Stitch asked, obviously baffled._

"_In plain Galactic Standard, please."_

_Lilo turned, her eyes shining. "They're getting married! Finally!!" she added, with a dramatic waving of her arms in the air. "Finally," she repeated, pulling away— Stitch suddenly caught notice of tears in her eyes— "we can have a real family."_

* * *

"He wants to do WHAT?!" 

Stitch sighed. He knew they shouldn't have told Pleakley… at least not yet. If he wanted to have any chance of keeping this secret for _any_ amount of time.

"You can't leave! You can't _leave!_"

"Pleakley," Jumba started, trying to calm the easily excited alien down. Pleakley, however, refused to be calmed.

"Aren't you going to stop him, Jumba?!"

"What am _I_ supposed to do?" Jumba muttered. "Dehydrate him into experiment pod?"

Stitch could only be grateful that they were inside Jumba's ship-lab, where none of the humans could hear them. Although, Pleakley's shrill voice seemed to be growing louder and louder— it was a wonder that the whole island couldn't hear him by now.

Instead of bothering around with Pleakley, he went straight for the comm screen. While the two of them were arguing over Jumba's lack of involvement, Stitch gave his quick request, before he could talk himself out of it. Eventually, one of them took notice of what he was doing, and they were both behind him in an instant.

"You did it already?!" Jumba asked, dismayed.

"Ih," Stitch said, wondering about the slightly uneasy feeling he felt in his gut.

A sudden click from the side of the lab caught all of their attention, and the three spun to see Lilo poking her head in.

"Uh… is everything okay? I was coming to call you down for dinner, and I heard you yelling…"

"Lilo!!" Pleakley suddenly cried dashing for her.

"Pleakley!!" Stitch dove for his elasticy friend, but he couldn't grab him quick enough.

"Lilo Stitch is gonna leave and he won't listen to reason and Jumba won't help and you have to stop him before he— _mmf_." Stitch had finally jumped on Pleakley's head, driving it into the ground. It didn't seem to faze Pleakley, who kept on trying to talk.

"…What?" Lilo asked, startled.

"Uh…" Stitch sighed. "Lilo…"

He wasn't denying it… _no… it can't be true…_ Lilo was shaking her head in refusal, and backed away as Stitch tried to reach for her. Without warning, she dashed for the door.

Stitch let out an explosive sigh, sitting back. "Way t'go Stitch," he heard from beneath him. Growling, he pushed Pleakley's head back into the floor, muttering something rather vulgar in their language.

"_Excuse me?!_" Pleakley said, squirming out from under Stitch. The furry blue alien, now thoroughly tired of repeating himself, just growled at Pleakley. The other alien seemed taken aback, before turning up his head disdainfully. "Fine. I see how it is. You obviously don't care about _any_ of us."

"What?" Stitch said, equally taken aback. Pleakley just turned and left. Stitch turned to Jumba.

"Don't look at _me_," Jumba said, not willing to get involved in _this _argument.

Stitch looked back at the comm screen. _They're just over reacting. They'll understand eventually._

* * *

_Stitch sat up in the tree house, waiting. He had been there for one… no, two hours. He bet Lilo had just forgotten. Or, more likely, had gotten caught up with something at the halau. He wondered if he should just go on into town and look for her._

_But he didn't want to be rude or anything… Or interrupt her. Lately, he had tried to back off some. Let her… well, let her have a normal life too._

_It wasn't until well after sunset when he finally heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. Allowing his vision to slip into the infrared spectrum, he saw two, not one figures coming up to the house. One was… "Keoni?" he muttered to himself. He knew he shouldn't be spying on Lilo and her friend, but…_

_They were holding hands and— and he saw them both lean in to kiss one another. _

_She was with Keoni… no, no, he had probably just walked her home. After all, the two were dating. Stitch's faith in Lilo as his best friend had never wavered once, and he wasn't about to let it start now. He was sure that Lilo had just got caught in town, and once she had finally managed to break away, Keoni had just walked her home. She loved Keoni, but that didn't get in the way of their friendship… He was just walking her home…_

_But he wasn't leaving. They were right there, just talking and holding hands and…_

_Stitch blinked once, his vision returning to normal. All he could see now were the trees, comforting in the darkness. He… he suddenly felt sick. _

_He didn't want to see anymore._

* * *

"Now, what's this I hear about Stitch leaving?" 

Stitch seemed to deflate with yet another sigh. There really was no such thing as a secret in this house. He hadn't left Jumba's lab, spending his night getting ready, yet it seemed to him that he just wasn't going to get a break over this.

"Hi David," he said, reverting to English for the benefit of Lilo's brother-in-law.

"Oh… hey Stitch. Pleakley told us over dinner," he said, chuckling a bit.

_He doesn't believe him?_ Stitch almost let out a mirthless chuckle of his own. "Well… yeah."

"Wait, what?"

Stitch said something in his own language, before trying to say it in English. "Re… ree …rrgh." Yet again, it was giving him trouble, seemingly just to rub the whole situation in his face.

"Renew your commission, yeah, he told us," David said, a bit wide-eyed. "You're serious? _Ou-ui_…" He ran one hand through his hair. Though David had at first been a bit leery of the whole 'alien' thing, he had settled in enough that Stitch realized he was about to get a talking-to. He held up one hand to stave it off.

"S'okay. Things… _changed_, here."

David gave him a look, as if to say, 'you can't seriously believe that'. "Stitch, you're a part of this family. _Ohana_, remember?"

"Yeah," Stitch said.

"Nobody gets left behind—"

"Or forgotten," he finished, cutting David off. "That's okay. But… I'm different. I… I _don't_ change," he added, trying to brush it off nonchalantly. He couldn't let this get to him, or else he would never go through with it. This would work out best for the whole family. He looked up at David, a determined look on his face.

Shaking his head sadly, David turned to leave. "Sometimes, you don't have to change," he said as a parting shot.

Stitch paused, before going back to preparing. _Even if I don't, Lilo will. And… I… I don't know if I can watch that…_

* * *

_Sigh._

"_Stitch?"_

"_Aloha, Nani," Stitch said, wandering over to the refrigerator._

_She gave him a knowing look. "Alright, what's got you so down?"_

"_It's… um… nothing."_

"_Stitch," she said, obviously not believing him._

_He sighed again. Nani had always been insightful, but ever since she and David had wed, she had grown up so much— and she seemed like she could practically read minds. He suddenly broke into a string of Galactic, and Nani held up her hands._

"_Whoa, whoa! I can't understand you when you talk that fast. Now, calmly… tell me about it," she said, sitting down on the floor._

_In a mixture of English and Galactic, he told her about how Lilo had forgotten him. How she didn't want to spend any more time with him because of—_

"_Keoni?" Nani gave him a sympathetic look. "Hey, Stitch…listen." She paused, thinking her words over. "Lilo is in love. She's growing up," she added, before noticing Stitch's crestfallen expression. "Hey, hey, hey… Just because she loves Keoni doesn't mean that she doesn't still love you. And just because she's growing up doesn't mean she won't always be your best friend. And… even if she's not always around, you're always in her heart. Right?" she added, ruffling the fur on his head._

_He smiled, feeling a little better. "Yeah."_

* * *

"Eh… Stitch…" 

"Jumba?"

"I… I don't mean to be big-nosed…er—"

"Nosy?"

"Yes, yes, and um, pushing, but…" Jumba sighed, before lapsing into Galactic. 'Stitch, what in the galaxy has gotten into you?'

Stitch rolled his eyes, fed up by now with explaining himself. 'It wouldn't be such a big deal if you all stopped making it such a big deal.'

Jumba seemed to growl. 'Listen, you furry little—'

'Lilo doesn't need me anymore! Okay?' By now Stitch was snarling.

'Oh, no? How do you know what the little girl needs? You certainly don't know how she feels!'

'I know her better than any of you!'

'And I know _you_ better than you know yourself, apparently,' Jumba added, derisively.

Stitch let out an amused bark. '_You?_ Of course you know! You're the one who made me, right? The reason I can't change. The reason why _years_ from now, Lilo will be grown and gone, and I can't be a part of her life anymore! The reason why one day you'll all be gone and I'll still be here!' By now, his words were coming out half-yell, half-sob.

Jumba paused. "Stitch… I… I did not _realize—_"

"Leave… me… alone…" Stitch muttered, deflating.

In disbelief, Jumba regarded his creation, before, much as Pleakley had done earlier, his expression turned to scorn. "Fine. You want to break her heart? Be my guest." Even storming out of his own laboratory, Jumba couldn't help but hesitate at the door. He felt a strange sense of guilt— in a way, yes, everything that Stitch had complained of was his fault. But there was no alternative— the only possible one would have been for Stitch to have never been created in the first place.

_And think of everything he's accomplished,_ Jumba thought to himself, giving up as he made his way down to the house. _Would he really want to have never lived the life he has? Would he be able to? _Part of him worried, not only for Lilo, but for Stitch as well.

But what could he do to stop it, if Stitch wouldn't believe them?

* * *

By the next day, Stitch had worked himself into a rut— he had secluded himself away from the rest of the family, telling himself that he just didn't want to get angry with more of them. When he got upset, things tended to break. _This… is my family…Is little… and broken…but still good._

The memory sparked a smile, as well as a pang of sadness. _Well, things have changed._ He looked up through the woods, back towards the house. 'Yeah…it's still good,' he muttered to himself. 'But it's growing, and I can't grow with it.' _Does that mean you should run?_

Stitch firmly ignored the voice in the back of his mind, but this time it refused to be quieted. _You're running away, as if that's going to solve anything._ Stitch looked up into the sky, through the trees. He could see a tiny descending speck._ If you think they don't need you now, what makes you think that leaving will make a difference to them? _Preparing himself for his fellow aliens' arrival, he reverted to his normal form, sprouting two antennae, twin rows of spines, and an additional pair of arms._ You don't even care about them, do you?_ Stitch halted in a small clearing, grabbing a nearby tree branch to alleviate some stress… and promptly shattered it. _You're doing this for your own selfish reasons!_

Stitch stopped, leaning against the tree with two arms. _I… I am being selfish…_ 'But…do I have a choice?' he asked himself in his own tongue.

"You always have a choice," a voice replied in English.

Stitch gasped, spinning to see a fourteen year old girl standing behind him. "Lilo!"

"I, um… I wanted to say goodbye," she said, quietly. A look of realization came over her face, as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh! And I, uh, wanted to give you _this_," she said, pulling something out of her pocket. "I don't know if you just forgot it or left it… but… well…" Stitch felt himself grow queasy as he saw her tearing up. "Would you take it anyways?"

Gingerly, Stitch reached out with one hand and took the collar-necklace from her— "Tiki Ku," he said softly. He had left it deliberately— not wanting the constant reminder of the family had _had_ been a part of. But that look on Lilo's face… Just like when he had left the first time. But he had almost died when he saw her expression… He had sworn… What happened? _What happened to your promise?_ he suddenly asked himself. _You swore that you would keep us together forever, _he thought. _But I couldn't,_ he thought back, depressed. _So what's let for me here? I couldn't keep her from growing up, even if I wanted to. And I can't grow up with her._ Noticing Lilo's expression once again, he gave her a soft, yet sheepish smile. "Um… help me?"

The young teenager laughed for a moment, and took the collar back from him, kneeling down and reaching around his neck. After she fastened it, she stayed there and embraced him. Once again, he felt his insides twisting up, and his arms shook as he returned the hug. When he felt the hot wetness soaking through the fur on his shoulder, he almost broke completely down.

The one person who he _wanted_ to demand what was wrong with him… the one person he _needed_ to argue with… was the one person who refused to. If she had only gotten mad at him, yelled and screamed and tell him everything he was doing that was _wrong_, then he could have gotten mad back. He could have justified leaving her, like he justified leaving everyone else. But all she did was sit there and cry. It took everything Stitch had in him not to cry as well. _I wonder if Jumba tried to explain to any of them,_ he thought numbly. _No,_ he decided, clenching his eyes shut. _Just look at her. She doesn't understand… and yet, she's still willing to let you go._

Stitch started thinking over all the words he had heard… Jumba was right. He was breaking her heart. It made Stitch feel kind've dead inside. She had said… he would always have a choice.

_Like you chose to be good. Like everything else you've ever done— it's always been a choice,_ that voice in the back of his head told him, stubbornly keeping up the pressure.

_But how can I stay?_ he practically wailed inside his mind, burying his head in Lilo's shoulder, as the two of them leaned against each other. _I don't want to leave her behind, but I'M going to get left behind, no matter what they do…whether THEY want to or not._

Overhead, the ship was coming down, bringing an overwhelming wind with it. Stitch glanced up at it… and to his own surprise, he was glaring at it. Startled, he looked back to Lilo, who had pulled away.

He caught her hand, silently asking her to stay with him. She nodded, and they both looked to the ship.

Under the roar of the ship engines, he suddenly heard Lilo speaking at his ear. "Jumba told us why you're leaving."

"What?" he said, practically yelping. Turning to face her, she smiled softly at having caught him unawares. "But you… he… you looked like you didn't know why…"

"I don't know why…" The door to the ship was opening, and the engines were dying down. Softer, she said, "I don't know why it matters." She glanced over at him. "But if that's how you feel, I don't want you to have to stay here. There are worse things you could do," she added in a whisper and with a wink, as the engine noise completely stopped. The alien officer coming off strode towards the pair of them.

'Commander Stitch?'

"Huh?" Stitch had been lost in thought, but quickly regained his composure; he shot an apologetic look up to Lilo in advance for excluding her from this conversation. Having spent so much time around aliens, everyone in the family could generally understand Galactic Standard, but when they went at it with each other, it generally left the humans in the dust. 'Yes?'

Lilo suddenly found herself left out of the loop, as the dinosaur like alien in the white suit started into some long tirade. Lilo thought she caught the words 'big problem', and 'we need you', but beyond that, she figured she would just have to get Stitch to explain later…

_Except, there is no later._ Lilo closed her eyes, wishing she hadn't, even for that one second, forgotten.

Stitch said something to the other alien that caught Lilo's attention. 'Things have changed.'

The dinosaur agreed, before a strange expression came onto his face. He fired off another question at Stitch, so quickly and full of strange words that Lilo had absolutely no clue what they were talking about. Stitch nodded. He paused for a second, thinking, before he seemed to suggest something to the dinosaur. The dinosaur then flipped open a communicator, speaking to someone on the ship, Lilo could only guess. The dinosaur finally looked up to Stitch and they both nodded decisively; Lilo felt her heart sink.

Turning to Lilo, looking considerably better, Stitch translated their last few words. "Ship stays for one day, then leaves."

"Y-yeah?" she asked. "Well, d'you want to come back to the house… I mean, they'll have had breakfast by now, but… I mean, It'd be nice to… to have one more together."

Stitch smiled as he looked at the ground. "You… need to learn better Galactic."

"Huh?" Lilo was a bit dumbstruck. That hadn't been an answer she was expecting.

"Ship leaves tomorrow… Stitch stays."

"…Huh?" she repeated, but he could see tears welling in her eyes as an astonished smile took over her face. She didn't dare to believe it… but she couldn't help it— she needed to believe it, and the noise that escaped from her throat was a little anguish, but much rejoicing. Despite her relatively small body mass, she somehow managed to knock Stitch clean over as she hugged him tight. "You're staying!" She let out a short sob, and once more, she was crying. He laughed, before realizing that the fur on his own face was wet too.

"I…" He stopped. He wanted to explain this properly. 'I was running away… I didn't want to be… to be left behind,' he admitted. 'I was so afraid that everything about our family… everyone… would change. And I'd still be here, the same as ever.'

"Silly," she said, tears streaming down her face. "Ohana means family. And family means—"

"I know, I know," he said. "Left behind, forgotten. Yeah…" He smiled sheepishly, fingering the tiki at his neck. He… was still a bit sad. He knew he'd have to face the change one day. 'One day… everything will be gone. But that's no reason not to be here every other day,' he said softly.

Lilo looked down, deflating. "I… I guess that there are some changes we just can't stop. Everything changes," she said.

For a few seconds, Stitch continued to look at the Tiki Ku. _Strength_. He wondered if he would be strong enough to stay… even knowing what he did. "Yes," Stitch finally agreed; "…And no. Everything changes. But… nothing will, too. Not for us."

After a moment, Lilo grinned, nodding. "That's right. You're still my best friend… and always will be."

For a little while they just sat there; a million thoughts still ran through Stitch's head. The sadness hadn't left him…or her. They knew that _one_ day there _would_ be an end. Every day they had together was just one more day counting down to that, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Even if they withstood the change between them, there was one thing they couldn't stop. _But I'm not going to let that be today. Every day is just one more goodbye to time… _He looked up at his best friend— the one person whose happiness meant everything, whose sadness brought him to his knees. The one person he couldn't live without. _But I'm going to make sure that we have as much time as possible._

_I'm going to make sure that it's a long goodbye._

* * *

A/N: Just a oneshot— something that's been on my mind. What happens to Stitch when Lilo starts to grow up? I guess I just felt in a writing mood today, so I knocked this one out. I know I should be working on my KH, but I figure I've got time for that one. 

I haven't seen Leroy and Stitch, so, my apologies if I've messed up anything from the canon in that regard. I used what I do know and my best interpretations.

I hope you've enjoyed it— angst is a rare thing from me, almost as rare as oneshots. (Almost as rare as me writing something spantaneously like this, with no outline, or even knowing how it will end until I finish writing.) But, I really enjoyed writing this, so maybe there's more to come? Who knows. But thanks for reading!

Happy Holidays! (Happy happy happy _happy_ winter break.) ;)


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